A variety of analog and digital circuits use reference currents to perform their function. For example, in a type-II charge-pump based phase locked loop (CP-PLL), a local reference current (IREF) and current mirrors are used to provide appropriate UP and DOWN pumping currents (collectively referred to as ICP), which are pumped into a loop filter. Generally, the charge pump current ICP is proportional to the reference current IREF. However, generating a precise reference current IREF is challenging. Without a precise reference current IREF, stability and bandwidth of a PLL (which are important parameters for gauging performance of a PLL) can vary considerably as a result of process and temperature variation for a fixed output frequency. For a PLL supporting a wide output frequency range, linear and precise scaling of IREF with frequency is another challenge.